WORCESTER, Mass. - A new capital investment plan at the Worcester Regional Airport will keep the facility up to date.

“The primary runway was rehabilitated, at least half of it was done two years ago,” said airport director Andy Davis. “We’re planning on doing the second half next fiscal year.”

Davis says there are 40 acres on the airport’s property which is aviation compatible. They’re hoping to transform it into hangars, maintenance facilities, or some type of support for commercial and corporate aviation. 

What You Need To Know

  • Worcester Regional airport is looking at 40 acres of aviation-compatible land on their property to repurpose
  • Airport director Andy Davis said there is still potential for the airport to grow, and he continues to work with carriers to promote the city

But the improvements go beyond flying. 

“Well, it’d be great to have some kind of indirect aviation compatibility business there,” said Davis. “But there’s also other demand to support the economy in the Worcester area.”

Christina Andrianopoulos is a member of the city’s Airport Advisory Committee. She agrees with Davis, saying continued investment in enhancements create more opportunities.

“It’s really important to increase the footprint, so it’s accessible, a little bit more accessible,” said Andrianopoulos.

Andrianopoulos said further improvements on the hill could help the airport distance itself from others.

“It’s beneficial to not only just our residents, but to the catchment of over 600,000 that would benefit from not going into Boston, Providence, or the other airports,” Andrianopoulos said.

The potential development is part of what the airport is calling a ‘rebound strategy,’ following two-plus years of diminished travel.

“There’s still room to grow,” Davis said. “You can see the ticket counters behind us. We still have vacant space. So we’re working in earnest with a number of carriers to promote Worcester.”

Andrianopoulos agrees, saying Worcester is a good choice to fly from. “I feel that the airline partners, they should see the value here.”

Davis said these enhancements are coming at a good time, as ridership continues to increase following the major surges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Editor's note: Several mentions of the Worcester Aiport acquiring land near the airport have been removed for this story. We apologize for any confusion.